More Evidence of Racial Discrimination in the NHS

A blog site that writes on National Health Services called Frontpoint Systems (http://www.frontpointsystems.co.uk/weblog) has obtained an email from the President of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists indicating a clear expectation of discrimination against overseas medical graduates.

The site highlights what is wrong within NHS generally and writing about medical politics in the UK has published a letter from Professor Allan Templeton, President, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists that states

'The completed forms have been particularly difficult to assess and score and seem incapable of allowing the identification of the more able doctors. Also they fail to identify UK graduates, which we all thought was the major purpose of Modernizing Medical Careers.'

The more able doctors are meant to indicate doctors who have qualified in the UK. The new form for applying for jobs is in a standardized format and is unable to discriminate between local and overseas graduates and this seems to be the cause of distress to the president of the Royal College.

The blog interestingly looks at the history of discrimination within NHS and describes this as 'an ugly fact of life in the NHS.'

In a scathing attack the blog reports - 'What has been especially blatant over the past year has been the attempt to discard from the UK training schemes, the thousands of doctors of overseas origin, many from the Indian subcontinent who have been propping up the health service in huge numbers.

They are the ones taking posts in unpopular specialties like A&E, geriatrics, psychiatry and O&G to keep the service running on the off chance that they would obtain a higher training post in open competition. The Royal Colleges pay mealy-mouthed service to the claim of fairness when they have over the years discriminated against & sabotaged these very same doctors'.

It further adds - 'Not-withstanding the public posturing in the aftermath of the disgraceful way in which permit-free training was abolished & overseas doctors were asked to leave, many of whom had made lives in this country for a number of years, the deaneries, the Royal Colleges & significant sections of the establishment had been aware of & had collaborated in that shameful treatment. Let us be very clear about one thing: The NHS is institutionally racist & this problem extends to the top. There is lip service paid to the concept of equal treatment but behind the scenes, acts of omission & commission continue to disadvantage staff and patients from minority communities.'

To read more on the performance of the health service in the UK including medico-political issues - http://www.frontpointsystems.co.uk/weblog/.

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